Nigerian, Ghana Cultural Relations

Nigerian Ambassador, Ghana Minister Laud Tribe Media for culture showcase

THE Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Musiliu Olatunde Obanikoro has commended Tribe Media for the efforts of the organisation towards successfully facilitating the Ghana/Nigeria Culture Showcase 2011.

Obanikoro who was a special guest at the Ghana/Nigeria Culture Showcase conference and exhibition noted that Public Private Partnership was the surest way to achieving the government policy objective and development initiatives.

According to him “This bilateral cultural platform is quite a commendable one that should be sustained given that the two countries share so much in common”.

The High Commissioner who later played host to the Nigerian contingent which included: Niger State Commissioner for Arts and Culture, the State House Committee Chairman on Arts and Culture, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, music maestro, Sunny Neji, Bayero Agabi-President of Tribe Media among others.

On her part, the Ghana Minister of Tourism Sena Dansua noted that “culture remains one of Africa's greatest but annexed resources. The Member of Parliament who doubles as a Minister said it was high time Africans moved out of the shadows of the west to project our culture and promote tourism in Africa to global standards.

The event afforded participants an avenue for discussion, interaction and performances geared towards building social and cultural exchange platforms to sustain better relations between Nigeria/Ghana. Part of the activities on show included the very best of indigenous and Afro-centric music and dance as the audience was thrilled by various groups like Abankaba cultural troupe, Niger State cultural troupe and Wuzawuza Cultural troupe while music was in no short supply as guest savoured the rhythm and beats from the spirit-lifting reggae star Ras Caleb Appiah-Levi, Bobo Ranking and Wind Afrique.

Speaking at the event, a former university Don Prof. Ablade Glover urged Africans not to be carried away by the influence of western values but to cherish and sustain African culture with utmost dignity as expressed in our dress code, music, language, arts and generally our communal tradition. The theme of the forum was Arts and Culture in the 21st Century: The Needed Balance.

The Ghana/Nigeria Culture Showcase 2011 was organized by Tribe Media Company Nigeria in collaboration with Pan-Africa Ghana with the endorsement and participation of the Federal Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Abuja the National Council for Arts and Culture, Abuja, the Ghana Ministry of Tourism, Ghana Tourist Board and the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana.